Joanne N. Smith

Joanne Ninive Smith is a Haitian-American feminist, human rights advocate and social worker from New York City, who currently resides in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She is the executive director and founder of the Brooklyn-based non-profit organization, Girls for Gender Equity (GGE). Smith has organized around the issues of gender equality, racial justice, school pushout, sexual harassment, police brutality, the criminalization of black girls in schools and violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people of color.

Background

Education and career

In 1997 Smith received a bachelor's degree from Bowie State University and graduated from Louisiana State University's Pre-Doctoral Academy. In 2003, she received a Master of Social Work Degree from Hunter Graduate School of Social Work. In 2007, she received a degree in Non-Profit Management from Columbia Business School. Smith also completed post-graduate training at the Ackerman Institute of Family.

Smith worked as a case manager at Rheedlan for a year in 1998. In 1999, she worked as a Cobra Casework Supervisor at Brooklyn Aids Task Force for two years. In 2001, Smith became a Community Fellow for the Open Society Institute. And from 2002 to 2004, she worked as a therapist for the Ackerman Institute for the Family.

Activism

Girls for Gender Equity

With the support of the Open Society Foundation, in 2001 Smith founded Girls for Gender Equity with the mission to fight gender inequality. GGE empowers and strengthens local communities through their after school programs, community organizing, educational activities, and social work.

Young Woman's Initiative

Smith is the co-chair of the Young Woman's Initiative (YWI), because she felt that it was unfair that women and girls were left out of Mayor Bloomberg's 2011 Young Men's Initiative, so she responded by hosting town-hall meetings in New York City and a holding a National Listening Session on the needs of girls and women of color. These events were held to give women and girls a space to unite and discuss their personal experiences with racial discrimination, violence, and inequality, with the intention to show that their needs are just as pressing as the needs of boys and men of color.

Move to End Violence

Smith was a part of the first Move to End Violence cohort, a ten-year initiative created by the NoVo Foundation created to "strengthen the collective capacity to end violence against girls and women in the United States." In 2015, Smith was featured in a Move to End Violence public statement called "Building Inclusive Racial and Gender Justice Movements" in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Black Girl Movement

Smith moderated a panel on Philanthropy at Black Girl Movement conference on April 8, 2016.

Grant Makers for Girls of Color

In December 2014, Smith participated in the Why We Can’t Wait: Lessons from Listening to Girls of Color panel with Kimberle Crenshaw, Pamela Shifman, Andrea Lynch, LaShawn Jefferson and moderator Alvin Starks.

On May 19, 2016, she participated in Grant Makers for Girls of Color's panel on the future of the movement alongside Jody Myrum, Nakisha M. Lewis, Tynesha McHarris, Monica Dennis, Cidra Sebastian, Kameisha Smith, Monique W. Morris, Scheherazade Tillet, Gloria Malone, Shaena Johnson, LaShawn Jefferson, Elle Hearns, Makalya Gilliam-Price, and Samantha Master, M Adams.

Public Voices Fellowship

Smith was a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project, which is designed to increase the impact of underrepresented thinkers and leaders in the United States through educational programs on how to effectively build connections, speak in public, use the multiple media platforms to spread ideas, and create a legacy.

French-American Foundation

Smith is a Young Leader for the French-American Foundation. The program creates a platform for up-and-coming leaders in government, business, media, and the non-profit sector to discuss cross-cultural issues that affect France and the United States, like transatlantic policies, globalization.

Publications

In January 2011, Feminist Press published Smith's first book, Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets (ISBN 9781558616691). Smith co-authored this book with Meghan Huppuch and Mandy Van Deven.

Honors and awards

• The Union Square Award in 2006
• The Susan B. Anthony Award from NOW-NY in 2008
• In 2007 Smith was inducted in the New York City Hall of Fame
• A Rising Star Award from the Educational Equity Center in 2008
• The Extraordinary Woman Award presented by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes in 2009
• The Stonewall Women's Award from the Stonewall Democratic Club in 2010
• The French American Foundation's Young Leaders Program in 2012
• Neighborhood Leadership Award from The New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) in 2012
• Generation 2 Generation Award from Choice USA in 2013
• New York's New Abolitionists in 2013
• Shirley Chisholm Women of Distinction Award in 2015
• 1804 Haitian-American Change Maker from the Haitian Round Table in 2015
• Amtrak Pioneer Award in 2016
• Joanne Smith was honored by Black Women's Blueprint at their annual Mother Tongue Monologue: A Praise Song for Black Girls Reclaiming Our Mothers Bones in 2016
• The New York Women's Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast Honoree

• "Girls for Gender Equity (GGE)". Union Square Awards. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Susan B. Anthony Awards Alumni". National Organization for Women New York City. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• McLaughlin, Mike (2007-12-15). "Hammerman now belongs to the ages". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Equity Awards Dinner | Educational Equity Center at FHI 360". FHI 360. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Women Honored By, At Stonewall". Gay City News. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Joanne Smith". French-American Foundation. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "2012 Neighborhood Dinner". The New York Women's Foundation. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 
• "2013 Generation 2 Generation Celebration". Urge. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "End Modern Day Slavery - The New Abolitionist Movement". A Call To Men. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Williams & Cumbo Co-Host Shirley Chisholm Women Of Distinction Celebration Honoring Six". The Council of the City of New York Office of Council Members. 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2016-06-15 – via Constant Contact. 
• "March 21st: Haitian Roundtable 1804 Haitian-American Change Makers & Ones to Watch « Haiti Cultural Exchange". Haiti Cultural Exchange. 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Black History Month | Brooklyn Nets". NBA.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "2016 Celebrating Women Breakfast Honorees". The New York Women's Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016. 

Public appearances

• Sex, Power & Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later in 2011
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 2012
• Anita Documentary in 2014
• Breaking Silence: A Hearing on Girls of Color presented by the African American Policy Forum in 2014
• NY1 Online's Panel Talks New City Council Initiative to Help Young Women in 2015
• National Listening Session on Young Women of Girls of Color in 2015
• Why We Can’t Wait: Lessons from Listening to Girls of Color in 2015
• Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools book launch in 2016
• Grant Makers of Color Panel on the Future of the Movement
• Black Girl Movement: A National Conference in 2016
• Vision Award from New York Women's Foundation in 2016
• White House United State of Women Summit in 2016

• "SEX, POWER AND SPEAKING TRUTH: ANITA HILL 20 YEARS LATER". The Feminist Press. 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - The Women's Vote | Girls for Gender Equity". Girls for Gender Equity. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Anita Hill steps back into spotlight as subject of new documentary film". The Boston Globe. 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Town Hall Hearing: Breaking Silence- A Hearing on Girls of Color — AAPF". The African American Policy Forum. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "NY1 Online: Panel Talks New City Council Initiative to Help Young Women". Time Warner Cable News: NY1. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Girls for Gender Equity Hosts Listening Session on the Needs of Young Women of Color". Move to End Violence. 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "12/15/2014 - Why We Can't Wait: Lessons from Listening to Girls of Color - Live stream and Materials". Philanthropy New York. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Book Launch—Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools | Open Society Foundations (OSF)". Open Society Foundations. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Livestream". Grantmakers For Girls of Color. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Black Girl Magic". Move to End Violence. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "Joanne Smith Receives Vision Award from New York Women's Foundation". Move to End Violence. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-06-15. 
• "White House United State of Women Summit". The White House. 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-06-15.